The Comic Speculator – New Comics Roundup 09/14/2011

The Comic Speculator is a blog written by WorthPoint Comic Book “Worthologist” Matt Baum that takes a look at each week’s hot new comics and back issues and the comic market place in general. Prices discussed here are taken from the Overstreet Guide to Comics (OVST), Comicspriceguide.com (CPG) and current online auction sales. Sales numbers and rankings are courtesy of ICV2.com. The codes under the prices of new titles discussed are Diamond Comics order codes that can be used to help your local comic retailer in ordering the issues discussed. If you want to hear what this nerd sounds like you can catch him on his podcast, the Tow-Headed Nerd Comicast, where he and his friend Joe discuss the latest comic news, review some new comics, and answer your questions.

New Comics Roundup

Below you will find all the info you could possibly need on the hot, new comics shipping this Wednesday, Sept. 14. For a full list of comics shipping this week, click here. To find a comic shop near you, click here.

Variant Watch

Here’s a list of all the variants shipping from Diamond this week and some info on the hot ones. The variant Ratios (i.e.; 1:10) represent how many of the regular issues the retailer has to order to receive one of the variants. If a ratio is not included it’s because I couldn’t get the information or because the variant is a new printing. The prices I post here are suggested, reasonable prices based on the ratios and may be higher or lower at your comic shop. Click here for this week’s complete shipping list.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #1 (Georges Jeanty 25th Anniversary Variant). For every 10 copies of either or both of the regular covers retailers will receive one anniversary cover.

Dollhouse Epitaphs #3 (of 5)(Rebekah Isaacs Variant Cover), 1:5

Green Lantern #1 (Greg Capullo Variant Cover)

DC:

Green Lantern #1 (Ivan Reis Black & White Variant Cover), 1:200. I can’t say this enough: if you need one of these 1:200 variants, instead of dropping $150-$200, just wait. Currently, both the Justice League and the Action Comics 1:200 variants are selling for close to $200, but those prices are going to come down. There’re still plenty of these variants out there due to very high orders by retailers, and the same will be true for this GL variant. Just keep calm.

Green Lantern #1 (Greg Capullo Variant Cover). This variant was made available based on the lowest-ordered new DCU title this week. For example, the store I work for ordered 30 copies of Demon Knights so it can order up to 30 Capullo variants. Again, this one will be very hard to price so don’t go nuts here.

Amazing Spider-Man #669 (Dan Slott Variant Cover), 1:15. Not drawn by Spidey-writer Dan Slott (thankfully) but featuring him swing through the air to save the wall-crawler. Watch for an $8-$10 price tag.

Fear Itself #6 (of 7)(Ed McGuinness Comics For Comics Variant Cover). This one is also being called the “Avengers Three” variant and was offered to retailers at one copy for every stripped cover of any of DC’s Flashpoint tie-ins. Which, I guess, makes this variant a 1:50, but watch for some retailers to try and price it well above the 1:50 mark. Already there’s one eBay seller asking for $250 for this one. Watch for a $45-$50 price tag.

Fear Itself #6 (of 7)(Mike McKone Variant Cover), 1:75. Not real impressed with this one, either. This variant is just a cropped version of the Fear Itself Spider-Man teaser ad that ran in Marvel titles a few months ago. Come on, Marvel, you can give us better than this. Watch for a $30-$40 price tag, but you don’t need this one.

Fear Itself #6 (of 7)(Stuart Immonen Variant Cover), 1:25. This one is also being called the “B” variant and, unlike the McKone variant, is brand new artwork from Immonen. Not his best stuff but still pretty cool. Watch for a $15-$18 price tag.

New Avengers #16 (John Romita Jr. Marvel Architects Variant Cover), 1:26. I’m not sure what Marvel is going for with these “Marvel Architects” variants, but I wouldn’t call them impressive. Also, I don’t get the 1:26 ratio-thing, either. Regardless, watch for a $12-$15 price tag on the 1:26 and a $20-$24 price tag on the 1:52.

Speculator Picks of the Week

These are comics that could sell out very quickly due to conservative ordering, popular demand, shipping errors or even widespread hangovers caused by UPS drivers everywhere enjoying too much Spaten and Paulaner seasonal brews at local Oktoberfest celebrations. Pick them up while you can or pay too much for them later . . .

DARK HORSE
Written by JOSS WHEDON and ANDREW CHAMBLISS
Art by GEORGES JEANTY and DEXTER VINES
Covers by STEVE MORRIS and JOE CHEN

Solicitation: Season 8 ended with a bang when Buffy cut the world off from the hell dimensions and all supernatural influence. Great, right? Except Buffy has left her best friend, Willow, powerless and ended the long line of vampire slayers, leaving her hated by the hundreds of girls who recently stood behind her. Newly relocated to San Francisco, Buffy can count on a fresh start, and focus on what she’s good at-slaying.

40 pages
$2.99
JUL110017

Why it’ll go fast: Again, Dark Horse proves that quality comes first for their Buffy line by smashing 40 pages of story into a comic with a $2.99 price tag (which will get you 22 pages at Marvel and DC). Buffy is back and her fans are going to come looking for this #1. Season 8 was fantastic and very well-received by both reviewers and readers. I’d expect Season 9 to do the same. Unfortunately for Buffy, this first issue is probably going to get buried by the flood of DC #1s also hitting shelves this week. I would guess this one will sell out a little faster than the recent Angel and Faith #1, which sold out a week after it hit shelves. Watch for a sellout announcement early next week.

Solicitation: Issue One: Hello, Cruel World. From writers Nate Cosby & Ben McCool (Choker, Memoir), along with hotshot newcomer artist Breno Temura, comes PIGS, a brand new ongoing series to join Image’s elite ranks. The story centers around a second-generation KGB Cuban sleeper cell, activated & assigned to overthrow the U.S. government through a series of kidnappings, assassinations and acts of terrorism. But why has the call come now, 50 years after the original cell last heard from Mother Russia?

32 pages
$2.99
JUL110432

Why it’ll go fast: Writer Ben McCool turned heads with his Choker series and it looks like he’s poised to blow-up with this new series. Fans of 100 Bullets take note: PIGS looks like a fun conspiracy/intrigue comic that could be instantly snatched up by a cable network for TV development. Artist Breno Temura’s art is reminiscent of Eduardo Risso, furthering comparisons to DC/Vertigo’s 100 Bullets but he definitely has his own style. There’s been quite a bit of buzz for PIGS #1 from other comic creators on Twitter lately and all of it is good. I’m looking forward to this one but it could be very hard to find. Not to belabor the point, but comic shop owners everywhere are dealing with a flood of new DC #1s as part of the relaunch and are probably cutting orders on just about everything else. I’d guess this one sells out quickly, as fans come looking for copies only to find an empty space on the new shelf. They’ll probably be plenty of new DC titles though.

Written by KYLE HIGGINS
Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT
Cover by SIMON BISLEY

Solicitation: “Friends die, family disappoints, but a legacy . . . that lives forever.” Slade Wilson is the best mercenary in the DCU, and he’s been doing this a long time. Some might say too long. But they’ll learn: Never turn your back on Deathstroke the Terminator. He won’t quit, no matter how high the stakes. Kyle Higgins (Batman: Gates Of Gotham) and Joe Bennett (Teen Titans) team up to bring you the finest in mayhem and gore.

32 pages
$2.99
JUL110233

Why it’ll go fast: This is the first of the new DCU titles I’m picking to have some collectible value and I’m doing it because of writer Kyle Higgins. Higgins recently worked on Batman Gates of Gotham with Batman and American Vampire writer Scott Snyder. It was excellent, and I’m hoping Higgins can return Deathstroke to his major-villain status and make the character (one of my favorite DC baddies) interesting again. If this comic is as good as I think it’s going to be, it’ll go fast. This will probably be one of the lower-ordered new DCU titles, as Deathstroke isn’t the A-list villain he used to be. But it’s already sold out before shipping, so be prepared to go hunting if your local shop is sold out. The cover by legendary painter Simon Bisley certainly won’t hurt sales either.

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Matt Baum is WorthPoint’s comic book Worthologist. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact Matt or post your question below in the Comic Book Forum in the WorthPoint Forums, located in the Community tab. You can also reply to this article in the “leave a reply box below. If you need more comic-nerd in your life, you can follow Matt on Twitter, where he’s always screaming about something nerd-related. Thanks to all Matt’s new followers and keep the comments coming!

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